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Five (short) weeks ago, I ended another successful year of coaching. Driving back from North Carolina, complete with two All-American relays, finishing a year where we totaled four state champions on the track, a handful of school records, and two team conference championships, I was feeling content, if not worn out. I don’t take success for granted….it’s a lot of fun, and I’ve been blessed to be part of team who is enjoyed a prolonged string of it. I was even happy to enjoy one or two “Holy Shit” moments…..the type of surprising result that far excedes my expectations, but which seem to come less and less frequently these days than they used to. Over the past twenty years and 58 seasons, I know that I have had my fair share of outstanding results, and if I decided to stop coaching track & cross country today, I could walk away with a career full of great memories, and achievements would rival the best that our school’s rich program has had to offer in it’s 41 years.

One of our team’s coaches posted a blog, after the national meet, reflecting upon the fact that she had just finished her first four years of coaching (indoors & outdoor track), and thus had seen her first graduating class go from start to finish. She pointed out some individuals that she was proud of, and of the fact that our boys team had continued to be successful, while our girls team (which is fairly young) shows real promise. She showed such enthusiasm, as she wrote “I Love Track”. I reminds me a bit of myself, when I was younger…….and at various points of the more recent years still.

But, as the summer has gone on, and I prepare for year number 21, I have found myself thinking…why do I do this? Why am I still coaching, after all these years? What keeps me going?

This has not been an easy question to answer. I will say that I never expected to coach for 20 years. I never thought that when I looked around in the community, I would see myself as one of the more veteran coaches in the school or in the region. I started coaching because I wanted to give back to the sport which had given me so much, and because I got a thrill out of helping younger runners to reach their own dreams and goals. It’s what my coach had done for me, and I was certainly never the runner that a lot of my own athletes have become….but he always made me feel good about it. I assumed that I would do it a few years, and then move on to some else. Lord knows, I had plenty of people ask me when would give it up and get a “real job”.

Coaching has required sacrifices. I have given up my time, my energy (physical, mental and emotional), it has cost me personal relationships, it has brought an opportunity cost in terms of my financial earning power, and in terms of what I am able to do socially throughout most of the year. I have had times in recent years where I have wondered when I would stop….or at least scale back (I’m sure that I will cut back part of the track schedule, and give up cross country last when I stop completely). I’m not complaining….I make my own choices, but I know that as I’ve gotten older, it’s been harder and harder to continue at this pace, and I know my patience wears thin earlier in the year, every year, and my energy drops. I know that if I were still married, I would realistically not be doing three seasons now, and while I’m not saying I regret the success of this last year, there is part of me that was ready for that change.

So still….why I am I here? It is too simple an answer to say that I would miss it if I didn’t continue. Coaching cross country and track & field has not just been something for me simply to do to pass my time over years…..it’s become a huge part of my life, and of who I am. And besides, I’m actually pretty good at finding things to do (and others have always said that they have stuff for me to do when I have time……again, those opportunity costs). I know that there are things that I wouldn’t miss……I won’t miss early season paperwork or interest meetings…..I won’t miss School Dude….I won’t miss idiot bus drivers who don’t know where they are going, or who bitch when you get out late…I won’t miss getting up really really early in August (as much as I love practicing, the hour is done out of necessity from the heat, not because I’m a natural morning person) or on butt-cold Saturday mornings December/January…..I won’t miss disfunction (the school board threatening to cancel indoor track, the region hosts screwing up the regional schedule, DSA’s with varying degrees of indifference to the sport…..(NOTE: it took me 19 years to have a DSA who I really really like, and who respects my work)….of going to meets at schools who don’t know how to put on a meet as well as we can….I won’t miss hours upon hours of entering results in after a TJ/Episcopal/Wednesday meet, instead of watching TV or going outside on Sunday…I won’t miss the 10-20 emails/texts/messages saying why someone can’t make it to a MANDATORY event…I could go on, but in reality….those are things that annoy me temporarily, and not that really stick with me. They get harder to deal with each year, as my patience wanes, and makes me wonder why I continue.

I could say that I continue because it feeds my own ego. I don’t care who you are in athletics….anyone who is serious about athletics has an ego on some level. I’d like to think that most the time, I can keep it in check, but there are times like these that I do reflect, and I can say honestly that I’m proud of what I (or really, WE) have done over the past several 20 years. I took over as head coach of a program, 15 years ago, that was traditionally one of the best in the region, but that had sort of fallen on a lower plateau. I watched our teams get spanked for a few years, even coaching a boys team that put up a Goose Egg (zero points) at a district meet. I never really dreamed about building a championship team…it was not something I understood well enough how to do, and frankly, I didn’t believe it would happen…..I thought that we would always be behind the Lake Braddock’s, Robinson’s, Jefferson’s & Oakton’s of the world. I was content with finding success in other realms. I was lucky enough to have some good individual athletes, and who experienced success. I was proud to get recognition for their accomplishments, and I am proud that my name is linked to champion runners like Brad Siragusa, Lia DiValentin, and Chris Foley. They were great runners, All-Americans, and Hall of Famers. I felt like I was following in a path that great Chantilly coaches had set before me, and I was making my mark. In retrospect, though, I’m not sure that it was enough, either. I’ve learned through experience that as much as I enjoyed having the best individual runner at a meet, and as much excitement as that resonates w/in a team and a community, it doesn’t replace the enthusiasm generated when you are an active player in a team race…..knowing you have the best 7 boys out on a cross country course, or that you have athletes who can compete well in every single event at the district, regional or even state levels. I am also proud to have shed the “has coached some excellent distance runners, but surprising to have Chantilly as a whole win” label, and now coached teams to multiple conference, regional and state titles as a whole. I’ll always be a distance enthusiast, but I get the same kick out of seeing a Charger succeed in sprints, jumps, throws or a relay. It just makes everyone else around us happier. When everyone is excited, and focused and celebrating victory, and looking forward to the next one….that is pretty special.

I know that from a number’s standpoint, because I am a numbers guy, I’ve had my fair share of success to be proud of. I know when I look at the record boards in the lobby, half of the records on there were from athletes that I coached (or helped coach). I wear a back-to-back state championship ring every day, and I see our championships celebrated every time I come in the building. I know that we’ve not won nine straight district titles like CHS did back in the late 80’s/mid-90’s, but I know that we’ve had a great run over the last 5-6 years, and I’m not sure I see the end of that yet, even if it gets harder to fill in for graduates each year. In my mind, I know that I’ve upheld the Chantilly tradition, and I get respect from my peers at school, in the coaching community, and from my friends as a good coach. I may not make a lot of money from it, but I’m rich from experience. I don’t feel like I have control issues over giving things up, but I do know that it would hard to not be known as the Chantilly Head Coach, because I have always worked that way, as a teacher in the building…..and perhaps more importantly, knowing that whoever follows me would keep up the same traditions. I think it would be hard to work in the building and see the team struggling if that be the case, and maybe that helps me hold on a bit longer.

I know that there are things I would miss. I would miss being called Coach at school, and feeling like I am contributing positively in a way that I do well…..I would miss the relationships I have with friends from other schools….I would miss being the first team to arrive at a meet, or the last to leave…..I would miss standing at the top of the hill at Burke Lake, calling out names at the top of my voice, knowing full well that they may not hear me…..I would miss sitting at the finish line….and knowing that EVERYONE knows that that is the Chantilly section, and making ourselves at home anywhere we went…..I would miss the smiles that comes from a good job….I would miss poring over Milestat to see where we stack up, and spending more time farting around, seeing how we could improve…..I would miss building something up over the short and long term, and see it pay rich dividends….and I would miss the chance to establish further relationships, many of which I have successfully continued far after kids leave CHS.

So, now I’m 7 hours away from the new season officially kicking off with August practices….and having reflected on all the reasons why might not want to continue for much longer, I can say WHY I don’t see myself stopping too soon.

I LOVE COACHING CROSS COUNTRY & TRACK & FIELD FOR CHANTILLY HIGH SCHOOL. I’m good at it, and I see the results….and I still feel like I’m getting better every year, as the team continues to improve. I know that it’s weird to say, when I am reflecting on why or when I might retire from coaching, or as I see my peers stepping down…..but I feel like I’m still growing as a coach, and I have a great great job.

I get to work with some of my absolute best friends, and we have come together to make some awesome things happen. I love seeing the enthusiasm from Jason, or LA, or Danielle…..it keeps me young(er)…and it allows me to relax, because each season that passes, I know that it is less of a burden on me as a head coach. I have seen Jason grow into one of the better coaches in the region over the last several years, and I know that we complement each other, and Chantilly is no longer a school with great two milers, pole vaulters, and hurdlers. We’re a program that focuses on EVERY event, with committed coaches who care about the athletes, and who are willing to put the team first. Learning to trust in the abilities and commitment of one’s staff allows me to see bigger goals, and to relax. I’ve learned to be more open to other ideas, and that releases a lot of pressure. It’s not about always agreeing on the methods, per se….but agreeing on the big picture, and that means team success. This has been an evolutionary process over the years. I know that when people around me are full of energy and enthusiasm, it certainly entices me to keep bringing my own A game, and it also gives me a great sense of satisfaction in sharing in the good feelings that I’ve had myself.

I keep going not just because I love winning….or even just competing….but because in the end result, it’s about seeing people happy. I know that this seems very simple, but one of the reasons to engage in sport is to seek personal joy and satisfaction. I’ve had more happy days than disappointing ones, and I still remember a lot of them. I remember the first time I had a kid qualify for states, and it was ridiculously ecstatic. It wasn’t even about doing anything when you got there….just running a qualifier. I remember the mixed feelings that came seeing Brad win states as a senior…..the feeling of joy, of relief, and in some way, of finally making it into a club of winners…and having Coach Kelbaugh, who I still think is one of the absolute best all-time Cross Country coaches, come up shake my hand, and say “Welcome…you made it”. It is a feeling that I’m not sure I even felt watching Sean win nationals eight years later (that was pretty damn sweet, too though). I’ve loved sharing this feeling with athletes who I’ve grown very close to. Working with kids for three seasons a year, over four years will do that to you. Ignoring the trophies in the cabinet, or the rings I’ve worn, or even the pictures on the wall…..my trophy case is the memories that I will always carry, and the relationships behind them. I’ve gotten the chance to work with some great, great kids……kids who have done tremendous things as athletes, and who have grown up to be tremendous adults. It’s like Richard Dreyfuss in the movie, Mr. Holland’s Opus…..I see my career as a collage of memories of 1000s of young men and women, setting personal bests, winning races, contributing to team success, representing themselves, their families, their school, their friends…and me, with excellence. A lot of these athletes most people won’t remember….but I will. As fun as it is to work with athletes who are genetically predisposed to winning championships (I’ve had at least five win state titles who come from champion level parents), but it is incredibly cool to see the kid who does nothing as a freshman or even a sophomore develop into a stud by the time he/she graduates.

The biggest thing I remind myself as I go through each season, tiring of some things and exhilarated by others (I do joke the season would be so easy if we could just get to the post-season and start there, but I certainly don’t really mean it)….what is old for me, may be brand new for a lot of these kids. I may have kids who qualify for post-season every season and who get used to it, but for each season, there may be someone who is making it for the first time….and only time. I remember when that was me as a senior. And I want to make it special for them, so that they will treasure that memory. A bit of an extra effort….a word of encouragement….even just a smile or a pat on the back….I know what that means to a kid who might not otherwise feel noticed on a large team…..and it can lead to bigger things. Certainly not a big enough price for me not to pay it.

Lastly, I will keep doing this as long as I relish the process, and not just the end result. I enjoy successful ends mainly because I know that I have been a part of a group that has paid the price through the metaphorical blood, sweat and tears of a full season……or for somethings, several seasons. Maybe it is my grandfather in me, but I believe in doing things fundamentally the right way, and in that you will get what you earn. I don’t believe in short cuts, and I know that includes me doing my job as a coach. I promise that I will walk away from this beloved sport when I genuinely do not want to put the work in, or do my job to the high standard that I have tried to uphold. When I can’t give kids the same pleasurable experience year in and year out as I have for the last 20, or when I don’t represent Chantilly with the standard that they deserve….I will bow out. Starting in a few hours….I don’t think I’m there yet. I know that I have enjoyed the last twenty years, and I still get a kick out of it. There are always new challenges to seek. In the 1985 cycling movie, American Flyers, the main character wore a T-Shirt which stated: Res Firma Mitescere Nescit. He said it translated “Once You’ve Got it Up, Keep It Up”. To me, that is part of the challenge of a new year, and doing it with a blend of veterans and newcomers. I want the boys team to continue to be competitive at the highest level. I really want to work with the other coaches to restore our girls team to a higher level of competitiveness…..the sign of a great program is when both teams are tough to beat (see LBSS…..or CHS in the 1990s). There are always records to chase, when there are athletes in reach. There is the excitement of finding hidden treasure in an incoming freshman, or having a sophomore burst from the pack on the last lap of a district race to give you valuable points that you didn’t expect…..saving you now, and giving you hope for the future.

I don’t see myself doing another 20…..but who knows. I hope that I can continue working with great coaches, and great kids (and enjoy great parent and community support) for a while, and that we can keep this up, until it’s time to move on. I know that I will have my days when I have the temperament of Gregg Popovich and a sideline reporter (San Antonio Spurs reference)…..but given the commitment to excellence that Pop has instilled over the past 20 years, maybe there’s something there….and to the kid who may have to deal with me at my worst….I hope I also get a chance to get you at my best.

I don’t know if anyone is reading this now, and if not, that’s okay. I’ve been going over this question over and over in my head for the past few months, and with 6:24 minutes until our first official practice starts, I think I’ve answered it for myself. If you are still reading, that you for bearing with me in my own thought process, and welcome to the inner sanctum of my mind.

It is amazing to me, after all these years of watching the Tour, how I can still be surprised at how the Tour can get turned upside on one stage….or even in the last few kilometers of one stage. After a week when the overall contenders remained close to one another, with limited losses to one another, the Pyrenees saw the hierarchy significantly more defined. In short…Christopher Froome, the 2013 champion, has taken the Tour by the throat and declared himself to be the rider to beat.

Stage 10 saw the favorites watching one another for 140 km, all relatively flat, until they reached the final climb of the Col du Soudet, a 15 km ramp containing parts as steep as 9% gradiant, and the first real mountain of the Tour. Team Sky was brilliant at the front of race, keep a high tempo, until the pack was whittled down to just the top 10-12 riders. Among the first riders to crack from the favorites was 2014 champion, Vicenzo Nibali, who would concede in excess of 4 minutes by the finish, , and falling essentially out of contention. With Sky keeping the tempo high enough to avoid attacks, Alberto Contador also cracked with a few kilometers to go, followed by Tejay van Garderen and Alejandro Valverde. I think most of the viewers were waiting for Nairo Quintana to take over the race in the mountains, but with only three riders left in the front, Chris Froome put on a blistering attack that she everyone from his wheel, including Quintana, and looked shell-shocked from the acceleration. Over the final 6km, Froome created gaps that may just win him the Tour on one day: 1:04 to Quintana, 2:01 to Valverde, 2:30 to van Garderen, 2:54 to Contador, and 4:25 to Nibali. American Andrew Talansky lost a whopping 11:34 to take himself out of the overall picture. Other fancied riders like Jean Christophe Peraud, Thibaut Pinot, Rigoberto Uran, and Joaquim Rodriguez all lost significant time as well. Froome’s performance was so violent and demonstrative that it reminded me of displays of force used by Lance Armstrong. Through his 7 wins, his pattern included a strong attack on the first day in the mountains to get a healthy lead, and then use his team to help him defend/build upon it for the final 10 days. I’m not making any suggestions about whether or not Froome is or isn’t clean (I’m not sure my mind is made up….) but his performance evoked those types of comparison, in the way that he was so clearly on a different level from everyone else.

As much as was lost by the other contenders, the battle for the 2nd and 3rd places has actually heated up well. Tejay van Garderen despite his struggle on Stage 10, did hold to his 2nd place overall, with Quintana 17 seconds behind in 3rd. Valverde is just over a minute behind, in 4th place, with Sky’s Geraint Thomas 6 seconds behind in 5th, and Contador is only one second behind Thomas. I will say now, with 9 stages, it is Froome’s race to lose. I will acknowledge that there is still a lot of racing to do before he gets to Paris, but he does look incredibly strong, and his team does too. Geraint Thomas, sitting in 5th place, is riding better than he ever has before, and Richie Porte, who finished 2nd to Froome on Stage 10, is climbing superbly as well. In order for the other contenders to dislodge Froome, they are going to have keep attacking him one after another, in hopes of isolating him, and then maybe getting some ground. The danger in this, of course, is that with the other positions relatively close, one of them risks being counter-attacked by another, and losing their own position.

Stages 11 and 12, at least by the profile, were even more brutal than Stage 10, although we did not see the carnage. As tough as Stage 11 was, there was a general truce, as the leaders stayed together, without attack, all the way to the finish. Nibali was the only pre-race favorite to fall back on the final climb, while van Garderen, Quintana, Valverde and Contador all stayed with the Sky team to the finish, while Contador’s teammate, Rafal Majka won the stage after a long breakaway.

Stage 12 was perhaps the most brutal of the race, and the weather didn’t cooperate. In addition to the four categorized climbs, the stage started in 90 degree heat, but ended in a cold rainstorm. The race stayed together, for the most part, until the last climb or so. As with the first two stages in the Pyrenees, the Sky team led the pack, and set a pace to discourage attacks. Their strength whittled the pack down to only a few riders, including Froome, Porte, Thomas, van Garderen, Quintana, Valverde, Pierre Rolland, and Vinceno Nibali, who had seemingly recovered from the last two days of cracking.

What I found interesting was that on the final climb, the attacks did come. First, Contador had a dig, but never gained more than 100m, and was reined in by the Sky train. As soon as he was brought back, Nibali took a shot, and actually got a bit more of a lead, but when Valverde attacked from the group to join him, the group reacted to shut it down. Quintana then took a shot, but didn’t really go anywhere. On each of these, Froome stayed calm, as his teammates protected him. Van Garderen also rode extremely well, sitting on the Sky teams’ wheels, and answering every attack, while not putting one in of his own. I couldn’t tell if he was at his limit and didn’t want to risk blowing up, or if he was just being patient, and defending his 2nd place. I think realistically, he knows he may not beat Froome, and that he still has to look behind him, to ward off the attacks from Quintana and Valverde (and perhaps Contador).

From here, there are four transition stages, before the Tour hits the Alps next week. They may not be easy stages, but they shouldn’t see the overall contenders change too much, either. A few things to watch next week…..

Will Froome ride defensively, or will he seek to expand upon his lead. I know that he has already said that he wants to try and win on Alpe d’Huez. It will be interesting to see how he does. Everyone will be tired, and there is always a possibility for an off day, but clearly, he is in the driver’s seat.

Will anyone actually be able to make a real challenge? I still consider Quintana to be the strongest in the mountains, but I’m not sure that the Sky team will let him get away. Even if he does get some time on his rivals, it may be with Froome glued to his wheel. Based on reputation, I would say that he has a good chance of 2nd place, and perhaps the mountain jersey, but yellow this year might be out of reach already.

Tejay van Garderen has ridden a great race thus far, even with his time losses on Stage 10. He may have faltered, but he still maintained 2nd overall, and limited his deficit to his other rivals. He is clearly on the top form of his career, but he is also wandering into unknown territory. He has never been the high up this late in a grand tour. He has to make a real decision whether or not to take a shot at Froome, or to concentrate on defending his position. I hope he can maintain it…he deserves it, but I’m not sure that he won’t slip to 3rd in the Alps behind Quintana.

As far as the other two former Tour winners, Contador and Nibali, their bids for victory are essentially over. Nibali has been off for most of this week, and after losing time on Stages 8, 10 and 11, I wondered if he would even finish. He rebounded very nicely in Stage 12, and if he maintains that form, he can still challenge for a top 6 position, but he still has some work to do.

Contador is certainly not as bad off as Nibali, although making up 4:06 to Froome is a very tall order. I think that the fatigue he carries from winning the Giro is hurting him (literally), although to be fair, if they were both fresh, I’m not sure he would’ve beaten Froome anyways, the way he is riding. This could also be age catching up to him. On the bright side, he is only :55 behind Quintana and 1:12 behind van Garderen. He certainly has the talent and the experience to find and take advantage of opportunities to make up time. The only question remains if those opportunities will present themselves. My prediction is that he will surpass Valverde and Thomas, but miss out on the podium. Realistically, too, this may be the last year he is considered a true Tour contender, although he certainly has the talent to win the Giro and Vuelta, but perhaps not against the best when they are peaking.

There is certainly an interesting battle going on with Valverde and Thomas in 4th and 5th. Both of them are here to work for their own team leaders, and both only have a minimal time ahead of Contador (Valverde is 6 seconds ahead, while Thomas only has one second). I can see a few scenarios playing out. If they continue to follow their team leaders they could potentially find themselves on the podium (Valverde looks particularly fresh), but this would probably involved dislodging van Garderen, which is not going to be easy, although they did both take a half minute away in Stage 10. The more likely is that as they continue to work for Quintana and Froome respectively, they will tire a bit. Valverde is notorious for having one off day ever Tour, usually in the 3rd week, and I think they will both be passed by Contador, but still hold onto 5th & 6th

It is important to remember that this race is not over. Froome has certainly put a huge down payment on a second win, and is riding as well as he did in 2013. He will be hard to beat. I do hope, though, that we see the other contenders take their shots at him, instead of just sitting back and playing defense. There are interesting sub-plots regarding the lower placings, and some of the other jerseys (the points jersey seems to be switching hands every other day between Peter Sagan and Andre Greipel, and the mountain jersey, which is being led by Chris Froome, could certainly change hands next week). These are the reasons I love this race: because even when you think you know how things are going to play out, you never know for sure until you cross the finish line.

So with the Tour de France set to start it’s second act, venturing into the Pyrenees for the start of two weeks in the mountains, I find myself reflecting upon the first week of this great race. (NOTE: I realize that I have not written since stage 3, but it is not for lack of things to write about….just laziness on my part). This has been an interesting race thus far.

For the most part, the first week of the Tour has often come & gone with a bare minimum of drama. The first week is usually the domain of the sprinters, and those wishing to make a name for themselves while the favorites stay out of trouble. This year, the organizers designed a route where there were natural challenges on most days, when the favorites had to come out to play on a full six of the first nine stages. Even if the stages weren’t fraught with multiple hard climbs in the high mountains, the contenders had to deal with stages with cobbles (Stage 4), and those which ended on short punchy climbs (Stages 3 & 8), all of which brought with them the possibility of time gaps. After a short time trial (or long prologue) in Stage 1, the teams had to fight through a relatively short, but hilly team trial on Sunday’s Stage 9. I would say that even though there are some gaps, the favorites have comfortably survived the first week reasonably intact, with no one dealing with any major crashes, or insurmountable time losses.

On this first rest day, I think it is fair to revisit my original predictions by saying that thus far, those who were supposed to be contenders…..are still in contention. During this first week, Chris Froome has definitely looked the best. He has made it through unscathed, and is the only one who has not lost time to his rivals. He is currently in the yellow jersey, having led four of the first nine stages, and looking very comfortable. On the third and eight stages, he looked to have the most zip of all of the contenders on the short final climbs, and was able to steal a few seconds…time which could be valuable in the long run. His Sky team looks strong, and they rode a perfect team time trial, finishing a close 2nd to the American BMC team. In some ways, given that they were defending the yellow jersey, losing by less than 1 second could be seen as a victory, especially considering that they dropped 35 seconds to BMC less than a month ago in the same discipline. Even though there are still eleven stages to go, I will say that based upon his current form, it is Froome’s race to lose.

I will say that in my opinion, Froome’s greatest challenge over the next two weeks (certainly starting on Tuesday), will come from Colombian Nairo Quintana of Team Movistar. Quintana has lost almost two minutes to Froomein the first week, with much of it coming on Stage 2, when he (and defending champ Vincenzo Nibali), were caught out by a split on the windy stage, and lost almost a minute and a half to challengers including Froome, American Tejay van Garderen and Spaniard Alberto Contador. He reputation, though, is that of being the most gifted climber in the world, and with all of the time trials and flat roads behind him, Quintana can look forward to two weeks in the mountains, where he will seek to attack Froome. I would say that it is unlikely that he will get away to take back a full two minutes from Froome on one stage, but when considering time bonuses, there will be several stages when Quintana can conceivably turn this race around, and become the first Colombian winner.

Spain’s Alberto Contador looks very interesting to me. From my viewpoint, Contador has made very few mistakes, but has also played his cards close to his chest. I think it is clear that he is feeling his efforts from the Giro d’Italia in May, and he is less fresh than Froome, Quintana and Van Garderen. He lost a few seconds on the final ramp up the Mur de Huy on Stage 3, and he also lost almost a half minute in the team time trial. That being said, Contador has not had to do a ton of work this week, either. On his best day, he is still capable of turning this race in his favor in a single attack, and his experience as a two (or 3) time Tour de France champion, and 7 (or 9) time Grand Tour winner would suggest that he has the experience to time his efforts perfectly. He will find it difficult to take back the time he has dropped to Froome, but he still maintains a buffer of over a minute to Quintana and Nibali. He may be able to use their willingness to attack to potentially go on the offensive against Froome. I would say that at this point, he still has a lot of work to do to win the Giro/Tour double this year, but he is not out of it by any measure, and definitely still in podium contention.

Last year’s defending champion, Vincenzo Nibali, rode such a dominant race last year, that one might have expected him to come in and ride the same unflawed race again, but unfortunately, he has not been as smooth thus far. Last year, after the first week, he was in the yellow jersey, Froome and Contador had crashed out, and Nibali’s challengers spent two weeks watching each other, as Nibali consolidated his lead on each mountaintop finish. This year, Nibali lost a stupid minute and a half due to poor tactics on Stage 2, dropped another ten seconds at the end of Stage 8, when he just didn’t have the legs in the last 2km, and his Astana squad rode to a disappointing sixth place in the team time trial. Going into the mountains, he is over two minutes down on Froome, and over a minute behind Contador. He certainly has the talent to take this race over, but his first week has been a bit shaky. We’ll see in the next couple of days who the real Vincenzo Nibali (2015) is.

American Tejay van Garderen enters the mountains in an enviable second place, only 12 seconds behind Chris Froome. After his 5th place finish last year, his goal had been to move up and challenge for the podium, but even at the start, there was part of me that wondered if he could do better than fifth, given the pedigrees of the four other challengers. I will say that thus far, van Garderen, next to Froome, has been the most impressive rider of the entire peleton, and is in position thus far not only to make the podium, but even challenge for the win. He has made no mistakes, and compared to last year, has avoided crashes. On the hilly finishes, he has been near the front of group, and his team has kept him up front, and out of trouble on the flats. He has marked men like Froome and Contador well, and his confidence is clearly growing. I will say that I am not sure that he will beat Froome, but I do think that of the “Fab Four”, which really should now be the “Fantastic Five”, he could easily beat at least two others, and make the podium. This is a huge step for van Garderen, and I am looking forward to seeing what he can do in the mountains. I am confident that he can stay with the favorites……but I am interested in knowing if he has the ability to attack and take time out, or if he will just be able to follow the wheels. We’ll know in the next few days.

Behind these top five, there are certainly others who can contend for high spots. I think that Spanish veterans Alejandro Valverde and Joaqium Rodriguez can feel good about their races thus far. They will probably not place on the podium, but given that Valverde is here to support Quintana, and Rodriguez already has a stage win, this has been a successful first week for both of them. American Andrew Talansky is looking to repeat his top 10 finish of 2 years ago, and I think he has the climbing legs to do it, but he has also dropped some time in this first week (he sits in 19th), and will have to avoid any more problems if he wants to move up. As for the French riders who excelled last year, Jean-Christophe Peraud has ridden decently, and can certainly still make a mark in the upcoming weeks, but at his age (38) he is not going to challenge for a top 5 position again. Last year’s top young rider, Thibault Pinot, certainly has the talent to ride well in the mountains, but crashes and poor form has caused him to lose time, and he may well be served by focusing perhaps on the best climber’s jersey this year. I am certainly interested to see who else finishes up with the best in the mountains, younger riders who we have not yet considered, or perhaps veterans who lost enough time in the first week to then be given their freedom to ride.

Before closing this up, I want to give props to veterans Fabian Cancellara and Tony Martin. Both have been amongst the top riders in the world now for almost a decade, and both took the yellow jersey this week, only to lose out to crashes. Sometimes it just feels right to see veterans like them have their moments of glory, even if they end suddenly and cruelly. It was great to see Mark Cavendish win another sprint stage, as he did on Stage 7. I have to admit that over the past couple years, I have been wondering whether he, the winner of 26 sprint stages in the Tour, was being passed by a new generation of sprinters, and if he would win again. I do still think that he has lost a little bit of his edge and pure speed to some of his rivals, but when going for a win, he still shows that experience of how to navigate a sprinting bunch, and timing means everything. German Andre Greipel may be the fastest rider in the group right now, winning two stages week, but Slovakain Peter Sagan came into the rest day back in the green jersey, which he has won the past three years. He may not have won a stage, but he has been up near the front on literally every day this week, which is why he is considered one of the most consistent and talented rider in the bunch. Lastly, I want to give a shout out to Eritrean rider Daniel Teklayhaimenot, who is wearing the polka-dot jersey as best climber thus far. Admittedly, the route has been pretty flat this week, and he only has 4 pts (earned on a couple small climbs), and will probably see his jersey go, it is great to see him do well in his first Tour. He was the best climber at the Dauphine, and the first rider of African descent to make such a mark on this race (Note: I know that Chris Froome is Kenyan born, but he has a British license).

With two weeks of the toughest race still ahead, I will say that it is certainly anyone’s race to win. There isn’t THAT much separating the favorites, and any one of them can shake up the standings in the mountains. My gut feeling suggests that we may go to Paris with a general classification looking like this:

Chris Froome

Nairo Quintana (Best Young Rider & Best Climber)

Tejay van Garderen

Alberto Contador

Vincenzo Nibali

Alejandro Valverde

Rigoberto Uran

Jean Christophe Peraud

Joaquim Rodriguez

Andrew Talansky

That being said…this is why they ride the race, and why I am excited for the second act to begin. The first week has been exciting, but not necessarily separating the favorites. Now comes the time when the strongest men will be forced to show their hands, come to the front, and make their bids for final victory.

Like this:

The third stage was designed much like a spring classic. The first half of it was long and reasonably flat, while the end of it became twisty and lumpy. The final circuit actually was taken from the spring classic, Fleche Wallone, and the stage ended atop the Mur de Huy, a nasty, steep 1km climb that was destined the create time gaps near the end. It was not a finish that would give any of the fancied riders enough of a buffer to win the race, but with the potential for gaps of even 15-20 seconds, or many minutes, this was stage to be attentive, particularly for those riders who lost time yesterday. It was a stage that favored someone who could deliver a short punchy climb at the end, and one when a classic’s specialist like Fabian Cancellara should have been able to defend even his slim 3 second lead overall.

The first half of the race was fairly uneventful. A breakaway of four riders escaped from the gun, and built up a lead in excess of three minutes. The favorites stayed out of trouble, keeping to the front, and working to avoid some of the mistakes that transpired on Monday. They stayed shielded from the wind, and in position in case any splits came. They realized that they would realistically be watching each other until the very end, when attacks could come in the last 10-20km.

Unfortunately, with approximately 50km to go, the race reminded the riders that nothing ever goes as predicted, and for the first time this year, a major crash reared its ugly head. It was not a crash caused by wet roads, or a spectator’s error, or unsafe conditions. It was a short lapse of concentration by one rider (William Bonnet) who was jockeying for position, and when he went down, so too did a number of other riders behind them. Included in the melee was the overall leader, Fabian Cancellara. To compound the issue, there was a second crash shortly thereafter. The carnage was severe enough that with the ambulances tending to the number of victims from the first crash, and couldn’t yet make it up to the second one, that the Tour organizers had to neutralize the race, and they actually stopped for about 20 minutes. I can say that I have never seen this before. I’ve seen the riders effectively stop racing, while fallen riders got back on, especially when it was the yellow jersey, but I’ve never seen the race officials do so. It was a confusing time, and while I am 100% in favor of race and rider safety, I’m not quite sure how I felt about the race being stopped. In the past, the race has always gone on, and in some ways, it was not fair to the riders who made it through, to have their advantages negated. With that in mind, much like any crash/puncture, etc, the riders must act in the spirit of fair play, because on any given day, it could be them instead. The ethos of fair sport was evident, and the organization realistically, did the right thing.

As far as the race was concerned, once it got going again, the racing was pretty fierce. Today, none of the favorites repeated the errors made yesterday. All of them made it up front, who were able to. The fast pace of the last 50 km certainly shed some groups, especially those who were affected by the crash. All of the contenders remained at the front, though.

When the leaders reached the Mur de Huy, the fireworks began. I thought that it would be a battle for the stage win by some punchy riders, who had done well at Fleche Wallone, like Joaquin Rodriguez, or Alejandro Valverde, or perhaps Michal Kwiatkowski, while the real favorites watched and matched each other. This was not the case, per se. Chris Froome, upon hitting the lower slopes, went on the offensive. He was immediately marked by Alberto Contador, with Nibali, Quintana, and a very impressive van Garderen on his wheel. Froome put in a couple of extra digs, and got a small gap on Contador, only to be passed by Rodriguez. Rodriguez kept his lead all the way to the line, with Froome just behind.

Behind him, the leaders came in, one by one. No one lost huge chunks of time, but when factoring in the six second time bonus, Froome actually rode his way into the yellow jersey. Heartbroken for a second day in a row, Tony Martin missed out on the lead again, this time by just one second. Van Garderen moved up to 3rd place, just 13 seconds behind. Contador sacrificed 18 seconds by the line, which left him in 8th place, 36 seconds back. Nibali, Quintana and Valverde all rode well, but still gave up 11 more seconds. Even though they moved up into the top 20, they still trailed Froome by over a minute, and will now have their work cut out for them if they wish to pry him out of the lead.

I think that Froome was surprised to get the lead this early, and I would be surprised if he tried to defend it all the way to Paris. Defending the lead is a great burden, and if he can give it away to a lesser, non-threatening rider for a few days, until the Tour hit the mountains, I’m sure he’d prefer to do so. Nevertheless, after crashing out last year, it has to be a huge morale boost for the 2013 to be back in the lead of the race, even this early.

Other reactions….despite their losses yesterday, Nibali, Quintana, and Valverde are all strong, and showed well today. Their losses on Monday were due to poor focus, not poor form. Van Garderen is riding as well as he ever has, and his 6th place today shows that he is going to be someone to reckon with. The odd thing about this route is that it is forcing guys like these to show their form early, rather than using the first week to work their way into their best form later in the race. I think it is possible that some guys who look really good now, will not be as strong in the mountains, but I couldn’t say who yet. I think it was unfortunate for Contador to lose a bit of time, but I will only say that it was not necessarily his type of climb. He is better on the longer steadier climbs, and perhaps, had he not reacted so violently to Froome’s initial bursts and ridden his own tempo, he might have saved himself some energy, and some time. I don’t know that is necessarily shows his strength, but it is too early to write off his chances, too.

Tomorrow will be another tough stage, traversing a course frought with cobblestones. Riding on the cobbles is highly dangerous, especially when it is wet (like last year), and the favorites will have to be careful. Last year, Nibali solidified his lead by getting through the cobbles more cleanly than his rivals. To be a champion, is to survive and thrive on all types of terrain. I’m sure it is a day when some of the favorites are just looking to get through and get behind them, while others are licking their lips. It is a day when a crash, or poor positioning can certainly cost you the race, and the favorites will need to remain attentive. Always a spectacle in the making.

Like this:

The first week of the Tour is typically one that the favorites for overall victory have to survive. It is a series of stages when the sprinters have their chance to shine, and when the breakaway artists get their chance at unlikely glory. The first week is usually full of flat stages with minimal physical obstacles, when the favorites simply need to stay upright, and avoid trouble. They will almost never win the race in the first few days, but crashes or mistakes can certainly mean the difference between winning and losing the race.

This year’s first stage was pancake flat, taking the Tour through the wetlands of the Netherlands. There were literally no climbs on the parcours, and it was a stage when Rohan Dennis would realistically be able to defend his lead, while top sprinters like Mark Cavendish, Andre Greipel, and Peter Sagan would compete for the win. It would be a day when the teams of the top contenders (Sky for Froome, Tinkoff-Saxo for Contador, Astana for Nibali and Movistar for Quintana, and BMC for van Garderen) would protect them from the wind and the elements to make sure they stayed safe and got to the finish unscathed.

One thing to remember about the race, though, is that it is not run on paper, but on the roads. As easy (relatively) as this stage appeared in the course book, it still presented its challenges once underway. The sky opened up, and the riders were forced to deal with rain and wind, making the race all the more challenging. This provided challenges for those riders who were not astute enough to be protected near the front of the race, and ultimately led to an unpredicted finish.

With overall hopes in the balance, the Sky and Tinkoff teams saw an opening in the field when the crosswinds were at their worst, and a group of 25-30 riders broke away. The group was controlled by the Quick-Step team of Mark Cavendish, licking his lips in hopes of his 26th career stage win, but it also contained race favorites Froome, Contador and van Garderen, all protected by their teammates. Perhaps even more importantly, contenders like Nibali, Quintana, Valverde and Talansky were all left behind. As a result, the front group put the pressure on, and ended up with a gap of 1:28 by the finish line. This unfortunately put BMC in a tough spot, as they had to choose between supporting the long term chances of van Garderen, or wait for the yellow jersey of Rohan Dennis, who was left behind. Ultimately, they had to give up the lead to protect their leader and his long term chances.

The fight for the stage win was a good one, with the top sprinters (Cavendish, Greipel, and Sagan) all making the final group. In addition, though, both Tony Martin and Fabian Cancellara made the split. With both of them within only a second of each other, and having distanced Dennis, they knew that one of them could be taking the yellow jersey. For Martin, it would be the first of his successful career. For Cancellara, it would be the 29th time he could wear yellow, having won in in six other races over his 10 years on the Tour.

The QuickStep team of Cavendish and Martin did all the work to get the group to the finish unscathed, and led out the sprint for Cavendish. Unfortunately, however, they made a tactical error in that Cavendish was left to start his sprint from approximately 250m from the finish, or about 50 meters too early. As a result, he was left in the wind with no energy left as Greipel and Sagan passed him on his right. Greipel scored his fifth career stage win, while Cav was left empty handed. To make matters worse for QuickStep, though, Fabian Cancellara, who had done no work in the break, also took part in the sprint, and with a last second throw of his bike, nipped Cavendish for 3rd place. His finish brought with it 4 bonus seconds, which pushed him past Martin. While Cancellara celebrated his good fortune, Martin was left to wonder what might have been, when all the work was put in place for him, only to miss out by a mere 3 seconds.

The big winners of the day, from an overall perspective, remained van Garderen, Froome and Contador. Thanks to them paying attention to the changes in the wind, and the force of their team pushing the pace, they gained an advantage of almost a minute and a half over their most important rivals. While a minute is not hard for someone like Quintana or Nibali to make up in the mountains, it was still a sign that unexpected things can happen when least expected, and a rider with designs on being a champion needs to avoid silly mistakes, or they can come back to haunt them in a few weeks time.

Like this:

The first day has typically been billed as a prologue, a short time trial that serves predominantly to set a pecking order and to award the leader’s yellow jersey to someone to start, while letting the favorites show who is on form. By rule, a true prologue is 8km or shorter; this year’s opening stage was 13.8km long, thus it was billed as a full stage, but the purpose was the same. It is important to note, though, that this year’s race has the fewest time trial kilometers that I can ever recall, with the 13.8km first stage time trial being the only individual race against the clock, along with the 20.8 km team time trial on Stage 9. Typically, there has been a long time trial (usually 40-60km or longer) in the middle or near the end of the race, but there is none this year. This year’s race is mountain heavy, and time trialing light. This definitely swings the race in the favor of Nairo Quintana, and away from Chris Froome, who is a gifted time trialist, as well as Contador and Nibali, who are often the better time trialists amongst the top climbers.

From a results standpoint, there are certainly a number of pure specialists against the clock, including four time world time trial champion, Fabian Cancellara, as well as current world champion, Tony Martin of Germany. Both of these men rode well, taking 2nd and 3rd respectively, but both were beaten out by Australian Rohan Dennis, of the BMC team. Dennis was the only rider to break the 15 minute barrier, and his time of 14:56, and his pace of 34.5 miles/hour set a record speed for a Tour de France time trial. Given that Dennis was the temporary holder of the 1 Hour record (set and broken earlier this spring), his win should not be a surprise, although the manner in which he beat the specialists remained highly impressive.

While the battle for the win was going on, there was a separate battle for the overall win, at least as it pertained to the predicted favorites. This type of stage is one when a challenger never wins or loses the race, but does have the opportunity to demonstrate what kind of form they are on, and perhaps steal a few small, but precious seconds, but which ultimately does not usually affect the final results in a major way.

Tejay van Garderen actually had the best day of the true favorites, with his 20th place, :42 behind his teammate. Surprisingly, he beat all of the other men who mattered, with Nibali finishing 1 second behind him in 22nd place, Froome 8 seconds back in 39th, Contador a full 16 seconds behind in 49th place, and Quintana losing 19 seconds, and finishing 56th. Realistically, I thought that the favorites might have finished a bit higher up, but given how close they were to each other, and only seconds out of the top 10-20, it was suggested that perhaps the wind had picked up in the later stages of the race. More especially, I would say that they were reasonably close to one another, and thus the results are neglibile. It is a great sign for van Garderen to actually beat the favored four, but he is experienced enough to know that while he might steal a few seconds in a short time trial, the mountain stages of the second and third weeks can produce gaps that are measured in minutes, not just seconds.

Overall, this was a decent day, and one that the favorites will cross off as “Mission Accomplished”, while looking ahead to a tricky first week, prior to hitting the Pyrenees on Stage 10.

Stage 1 Results

1. Rohan DENNIS, BMC RACING TEAM, in 14:56

2. Tony MARTIN, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at :05

3. Fabian CANCELLARA, TREK FACTORY RACING, at :06

4. Tom DUMOULIN, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at :08

5. Jos VAN EMDEN, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at :15

6. Jonathan CASTROVIEJO NICOLAS, MOVISTAR TEAM, at :23

7. Matthias BRANDLE, IAM CYCLING, at :23

8. Adriano MALORI, MOVISTAR TEAM, at :29

9. Wilco KELDERMAN, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at :30

10. Stephen CUMMINGS, MTN – QHUBEKA, at :32

11. Robert GESINK, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at :33

12. Geraint THOMAS, TEAM SKY, at :33

13. Alex DOWSETT, MOVISTAR TEAM, at :36

14. Bauke MOLLEMA, TREK FACTORY RACING, at :37

15. Bob JUNGELS, TREK FACTORY RACING, at :38

16. Dylan VAN BAARLE, TEAM CANNONDALE – GARMIN, at :38

17. Rigoberto URAN URAN, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at :40

18. Thibaut PINOT, FDJ, at :41

19. Peter SAGAN, TINKOFF – SAXO, at :41

20. Tejay VAN GARDEREN, BMC RACING TEAM, at :42

21. Leopold KONIG, TEAM SKY, at :43

22. Vincenzo NIBALI, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at :43

23. Lars BOOM, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at :44

24. Daniel OSS, BMC RACING TEAM, at :44

25. Svein TUFT, ORICA GreenEDGE, at :45

26. John DEGENKOLB, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at :45

27. Lieuwe WESTRA, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at :45

28. Zdenek STYBAR, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at :45

29. Sylvain CHAVANEL, IAM CYCLING, at :45

30. Rein TAARAMAE, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at :45

31. Steven KRUIJSWIJK, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at :45

32. Luke DURBRIDGE, ORICA GreenEDGE, at :46

33. Simon YATES, ORICA GreenEDGE, at :46

34. Michael ROGERS, TINKOFF – SAXO, at :47

35. Jérémy ROY, FDJ, at :47

36. Sep VANMARCKE, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at :49

37. Martin ELMIGER, IAM CYCLING, at :50

38. Greg VAN AVERMAET, BMC RACING TEAM, at :50

39. Christopher FROOME, TEAM SKY, at :50

40. Jerome COPPEL, IAM CYCLING, at :51

41. Gorka IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTI, MOVISTAR TEAM, at :53

42. Paul MARTENS, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at :55

43. Alejandro VALVERDE BELMONTE, MOVISTAR TEAM, at :56

44. Daryl IMPEY, ORICA GreenEDGE, at :57

45. Andriy GRIVKO, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at :57

46. Alberto CONTADOR VELASCO, TINKOFF – SAXO, at :58

47. Michael MATTHEWS, ORICA GreenEDGE, at :58

48. Tony GALLOPIN, LOTTO SOUDAL, at :58

49. Markel IRIZAR ARANBURU, TREK FACTORY RACING, at :58

50. Jean-Christophe PERAUD, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at :59

51. Georg PREIDLER, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at :59

52. Edvald BOASSON HAGEN, MTN – QHUBEKA, at :59

53. Steve MORABITO, FDJ, at 1:00

54. Michael ALBASINI, ORICA GreenEDGE, at 1:00

55. Damien GAUDIN, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 1:00

56. Haimar ZUBELDIA AGIRRE, TREK FACTORY RACING, at 1:01

57. Nairo Alexander QUINTANA ROJAS, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 1:01

58. Tanel KANGERT, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 1:02

59. Samuel SANCHEZ GONZALEZ, BMC RACING TEAM, at 1:04

60. Manuel QUINZIATO, BMC RACING TEAM, at 1:04

61. Simon GESCHKE, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at 1:05

62. Wouter POELS, TEAM SKY, at 1:05

63. Roman KREUZIGER, TINKOFF – SAXO, at 1:06

64. Michal KWIATKOWSKI, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at 1:06

65. Richie PORTE, TEAM SKY, at 1:06

66. Pieter WEENING, ORICA GreenEDGE, at 1:07

67. Thomas LEEZER, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at 1:07

68. Peter KENNAUGH, TEAM SKY, at 1:08

69. Tiago MACHADO, TEAM KATUSHA, at 1:08

70. José Joao PIMENTA COSTA MENDES, BORA-ARGON 18, at 1:08

71. Alexander KRISTOFF, TEAM KATUSHA, at 1:08

72. Reto HOLLENSTEIN, IAM CYCLING, at 1:09

73. Marcel SIEBERG, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 1:10

74. Ian STANNARD, TEAM SKY, at 1:11

75. Jack BAUER, TEAM CANNONDALE – GARMIN, at 1:11

76. André GREIPEL, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 1:11

77. Imanol ERVITI, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 1:11

78. Emanuel BUCHMANN, BORA-ARGON 18, at 1:12

79. Mathias FRANK, IAM CYCLING, at 1:12

80. Marcel WYSS, IAM CYCLING, at 1:12

81. Arnaud DEMARE, FDJ, at 1:12

82. Winner ANACONA GOMEZ, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 1:13

83. Rui Alberto FARIA DA COSTA, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 1:13

84. Julien VERMOTE, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at 1:13

85. Romain SICARD, TEAM EUROPCAR, at 1:13

86. Zakkari DEMPSTER, BORA-ARGON 18, at 1:14

87. Ryder HESJEDAL, TEAM CANNONDALE – GARMIN, at 1:15

88. William BONNET, FDJ, at 1:15

89. Kristijan KOREN, TEAM CANNONDALE – GARMIN, at 1:15

90. Andrew TALANSKY, TEAM CANNONDALE – GARMIN, at 1:15

91. Laurens TEN DAM, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at 1:15

92. Bartosz HUZARSKI, BORA-ARGON 18, at 1:16

93. Daniele BENNATI, TINKOFF – SAXO, at 1:16

94. Nelson Filipe SANTOS SIMOES OLIVEIRA, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 1:16

95. Daniel MARTIN, TEAM CANNONDALE – GARMIN, at 1:17

96. Stef CLEMENT, IAM CYCLING, at 1:17

97. Adam YATES, ORICA GreenEDGE, at 1:18

98. Sebastian LANGEVELD, TEAM CANNONDALE – GARMIN, at 1:19

99. Lars Ytting BAK, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 1:19

100. Stijn DEVOLDER, TREK FACTORY RACING, at 1:19

101. Nicolas ROCHE, TEAM SKY, at 1:20

102. Tim WELLENS, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 1:21

103. Louis MEINTJES, MTN – QHUBEKA, at 1:21

104. Serge PAUWELS, MTN – QHUBEKA, at 1:21

105. Tyler FARRAR, MTN – QHUBEKA, at 1:22

106. Greg HENDERSON, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 1:22

107. Florian VACHON, BRETAGNE-SECHE ENVIRONNEMENT, at 1:22

108. Simon GERRANS, ORICA GreenEDGE, at 1:22

109. Alberto LOSADA ALGUACIL, TEAM KATUSHA, at 1:23

110. Bram TANKINK, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at 1:23

111. Rafal MAJKA, TINKOFF – SAXO, at 1:23

112. Thomas VOECKLER, TEAM EUROPCAR, at 1:24

113. Matthieu LADAGNOUS, FDJ, at 1:24

114. Nicolas EDET, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 1:24

115. Florian SENECHAL, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 1:24

116. Danilo WYSS, BMC RACING TEAM, at 1:24

117. Michal GOLAS, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at 1:24

118. Andreas SCHILLINGER, BORA-ARGON 18, at 1:25

119. Paul VOSS, BORA-ARGON 18, at 1:25

120. Christophe LAPORTE, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 1:25

121. Ramon SINKELDAM, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at 1:25

122. Matteo TRENTIN, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at 1:26

123. Mark CAVENDISH, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at 1:26

124. Thomas DE GENDT, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 1:26

125. Joaquin RODRIGUEZ OLIVER, TEAM KATUSHA, at 1:26

126. Jakob FUGLSANG, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 1:26

127. Warren BARGUIL, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at 1:27

128. Dmitriy GRUZDEV, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 1:27

129. Jacques JANSE VAN RENSBURG, MTN – QHUBEKA, at 1:27

130. Alexandre GENIEZ, FDJ, at 1:27

131. Michele SCARPONI, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 1:28

132. Christophe RIBLON, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 1:30

133. Rafael VALLS FERRI, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 1:30

134. Jarlinson PANTANO, IAM CYCLING, at 1:31

135. Pierrick FEDRIGO, BRETAGNE-SECHE ENVIRONNEMENT, at 1:31

136. Daniel NAVARRO GARCIA, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 1:31

137. Grégory RAST, TREK FACTORY RACING, at 1:31

138. Dominik NERZ, BORA-ARGON 18, at 1:31

139. Jan BAKELANTS, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 1:32

140. Benoît VAUGRENARD, FDJ, at 1:32

141. Ramunas NAVARDAUSKAS, TEAM CANNONDALE – GARMIN, at 1:33

142. Jens DEBUSSCHERE, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 1:33

143. Julien SIMON, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 1:33

144. Anthony DELAPLACE, BRETAGNE-SECHE ENVIRONNEMENT, at 1:33

145. Romain BARDET, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 1:34

146. Daniel TEKLEHAIMANOT, MTN – QHUBEKA, at 1:34

147. Damiano CARUSO, BMC RACING TEAM, at 1:34

148. Jan BARTA, BORA-ARGON 18, at 1:35

149. Bryan NAULLEAU, TEAM EUROPCAR, at 1:35

150. Marco HALLER, TEAM KATUSHA, at 1:35

151. Cyril GAUTIER, TEAM EUROPCAR, at 1:36

152. Reinardt JANSE VAN RENSBURG, MTN – QHUBEKA, at 1:37

153. Koen DE KORT, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at 1:37

154. Nathan HAAS, TEAM CANNONDALE – GARMIN, at 1:37

155. Albert TIMMER, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at 1:39

156. Matteo TOSATTO, TINKOFF – SAXO, at 1:40

157. Eduardo SEPULVEDA, BRETAGNE-SECHE ENVIRONNEMENT, at 1:40

158. Ruben PLAZA MOLINA, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 1:40

159. Dmitrii KOZONCHUK, TEAM KATUSHA, at 1:41

160. Alexis VUILLERMOZ, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 1:42

161. Filippo POZZATO, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 1:42

162. Geoffrey SOUPE, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 1:43

163. Davide CIMOLAI, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 1:43

164. Ivan BASSO, TINKOFF – SAXO, at 1:45

165. Mark RENSHAW, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at 1:46

166. Pierre ROLLAND, TEAM EUROPCAR, at 1:46

167. Adam HANSEN, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 1:47

168. Laurent DIDIER, TREK FACTORY RACING, at 1:47

169. Johan VAN SUMMEREN, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 1:48

170. Kenneth VAN BILSEN, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 1:48

171. Sam BENNETT, BORA-ARGON 18, at 1:48

172. Michael VALGREN, TINKOFF – SAXO, at 1:49

173. Julian David ARREDONDO MORENO, TREK FACTORY RACING, at 1:50

174. José HERRADA LOPEZ, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 1:50

175. Merhawi KUDUS GHEBREMEDHIN, MTN – QHUBEKA, at 1:51

176. Bryan COQUARD, TEAM EUROPCAR, at 1:51

177. Michael SCHÄR, BMC RACING TEAM, at 1:51

178. Jacopo GUARNIERI, TEAM KATUSHA, at 1:51

179. Yohann GENE, TEAM EUROPCAR, at 1:53

180. Luke ROWE, TEAM SKY, at 1:54

181. Luca PAOLINI, TEAM KATUSHA, at 1:55

182. Kristijan DURASEK, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 1:55

183. Angelo TULIK, TEAM EUROPCAR, at 1:57

184. Luis Angel MATE MARDONES, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 1:58

185. Frédéric BRUN, BRETAGNE-SECHE ENVIRONNEMENT, at 2:01

186. Sébastien CHAVANEL, FDJ, at 2:02

187. Jose Rodolfo SERPA PEREZ, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 2:09

188. Roy CURVERS, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at 2:12

189. Matteo BONO, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 2:13

190. Ben GASTAUER, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 2:14

191. Nacer BOUHANNI, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 2:14

192. Arnaud GERARD, BRETAGNE-SECHE ENVIRONNEMENT, at 2:18

193. Pierre-Luc PERICHON, BRETAGNE-SECHE ENVIRONNEMENT, at 2:23

194. Perrig QUEMENEUR, TEAM EUROPCAR, at 2:24

195. Giampaolo CARUSO, TEAM KATUSHA, at 2:24

196. Armindo FONSECA, BRETAGNE-SECHE ENVIRONNEMENT, at 2:25

197. Brice FEILLU, BRETAGNE-SECHE ENVIRONNEMENT, at 2:28

198. Mikael CHEREL, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 3:36

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

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1. Rohan DENNIS, BMC RACING TEAM, in 14:56

2. Tony MARTIN, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at :05

3. Fabian CANCELLARA, TREK FACTORY RACING, at :06

4. Tom DUMOULIN, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at :08

5. Jos VAN EMDEN, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at :15

6. Jonathan CASTROVIEJO NICOLAS, MOVISTAR TEAM, at :23

7. Matthias BRANDLE, IAM CYCLING, at :23

8. Adriano MALORI, MOVISTAR TEAM, at :29

9. Wilco KELDERMAN, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at :30

10. Stephen CUMMINGS, MTN – QHUBEKA, at :32

11. Robert GESINK, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at :33

12. Geraint THOMAS, TEAM SKY, at :33

13. Alex DOWSETT, MOVISTAR TEAM, at :36

14. Bauke MOLLEMA, TREK FACTORY RACING, at :37

15. Bob JUNGELS, TREK FACTORY RACING, at :38

16. Dylan VAN BAARLE, TEAM CANNONDALE – GARMIN, at :38

17. Rigoberto URAN URAN, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at :40

18. Thibaut PINOT, FDJ, at :41

19. Peter SAGAN, TINKOFF – SAXO, at :41

20. Tejay VAN GARDEREN, BMC RACING TEAM, at :42

21. Leopold KONIG, TEAM SKY, at :43

22. Vincenzo NIBALI, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at :43

23. Lars BOOM, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at :44

24. Daniel OSS, BMC RACING TEAM, at :44

25. Svein TUFT, ORICA GreenEDGE, at :45

26. John DEGENKOLB, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at :45

27. Lieuwe WESTRA, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at :45

28. Zdenek STYBAR, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at :45

29. Sylvain CHAVANEL, IAM CYCLING, at :45

30. Rein TAARAMAE, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at :45

31. Steven KRUIJSWIJK, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at :45

32. Luke DURBRIDGE, ORICA GreenEDGE, at :46

33. Simon YATES, ORICA GreenEDGE, at :46

34. Michael ROGERS, TINKOFF – SAXO, at :47

35. Jérémy ROY, FDJ, at :47

36. Sep VANMARCKE, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at :49

37. Martin ELMIGER, IAM CYCLING, at :50

38. Greg VAN AVERMAET, BMC RACING TEAM, at :50

39. Christopher FROOME, TEAM SKY, at :50

40. Jerome COPPEL, IAM CYCLING, at :51

41. Gorka IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTI, MOVISTAR TEAM, at :53

42. Paul MARTENS, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at :55

43. Alejandro VALVERDE BELMONTE, MOVISTAR TEAM, at :56

44. Daryl IMPEY, ORICA GreenEDGE, at :57

45. Andriy GRIVKO, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at :57

46. Alberto CONTADOR VELASCO, TINKOFF – SAXO, at :58

47. Michael MATTHEWS, ORICA GreenEDGE, at :58

48. Tony GALLOPIN, LOTTO SOUDAL, at :58

49. Markel IRIZAR ARANBURU, TREK FACTORY RACING, at :58

50. Jean-Christophe PERAUD, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at :59

51. Georg PREIDLER, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at :59

52. Edvald BOASSON HAGEN, MTN – QHUBEKA, at :59

53. Steve MORABITO, FDJ, at 1:00

54. Michael ALBASINI, ORICA GreenEDGE, at 1:00

55. Damien GAUDIN, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 1:00

56. Haimar ZUBELDIA AGIRRE, TREK FACTORY RACING, at 1:01

57. Nairo Alexander QUINTANA ROJAS, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 1:01

58. Tanel KANGERT, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 1:02

59. Samuel SANCHEZ GONZALEZ, BMC RACING TEAM, at 1:04

60. Manuel QUINZIATO, BMC RACING TEAM, at 1:04

61. Simon GESCHKE, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at 1:05

62. Wouter POELS, TEAM SKY, at 1:05

63. Roman KREUZIGER, TINKOFF – SAXO, at 1:06

64. Michal KWIATKOWSKI, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at 1:06

65. Richie PORTE, TEAM SKY, at 1:06

66. Pieter WEENING, ORICA GreenEDGE, at 1:07

67. Thomas LEEZER, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at 1:07

68. Peter KENNAUGH, TEAM SKY, at 1:08

69. Tiago MACHADO, TEAM KATUSHA, at 1:08

70. José Joao PIMENTA COSTA MENDES, BORA-ARGON 18, at 1:08

71. Alexander KRISTOFF, TEAM KATUSHA, at 1:08

72. Reto HOLLENSTEIN, IAM CYCLING, at 1:09

73. Marcel SIEBERG, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 1:10

74. Ian STANNARD, TEAM SKY, at 1:11

75. Jack BAUER, TEAM CANNONDALE – GARMIN, at 1:11

76. André GREIPEL, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 1:11

77. Imanol ERVITI, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 1:11

78. Emanuel BUCHMANN, BORA-ARGON 18, at 1:12

79. Mathias FRANK, IAM CYCLING, at 1:12

80. Marcel WYSS, IAM CYCLING, at 1:12

81. Arnaud DEMARE, FDJ, at 1:12

82. Winner ANACONA GOMEZ, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 1:13

83. Rui Alberto FARIA DA COSTA, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 1:13

84. Julien VERMOTE, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at 1:13

85. Romain SICARD, TEAM EUROPCAR, at 1:13

86. Zakkari DEMPSTER, BORA-ARGON 18, at 1:14

87. Ryder HESJEDAL, TEAM CANNONDALE – GARMIN, at 1:15

88. William BONNET, FDJ, at 1:15

89. Kristijan KOREN, TEAM CANNONDALE – GARMIN, at 1:15

90. Andrew TALANSKY, TEAM CANNONDALE – GARMIN, at 1:15

91. Laurens TEN DAM, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at 1:15

92. Bartosz HUZARSKI, BORA-ARGON 18, at 1:16

93. Daniele BENNATI, TINKOFF – SAXO, at 1:16

94. Nelson Filipe SANTOS SIMOES OLIVEIRA, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 1:16

95. Daniel MARTIN, TEAM CANNONDALE – GARMIN, at 1:17

96. Stef CLEMENT, IAM CYCLING, at 1:17

97. Adam YATES, ORICA GreenEDGE, at 1:18

98. Sebastian LANGEVELD, TEAM CANNONDALE – GARMIN, at 1:19

99. Lars Ytting BAK, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 1:19

100. Stijn DEVOLDER, TREK FACTORY RACING, at 1:19

101. Nicolas ROCHE, TEAM SKY, at 1:20

102. Tim WELLENS, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 1:21

103. Louis MEINTJES, MTN – QHUBEKA, at 1:21

104. Serge PAUWELS, MTN – QHUBEKA, at 1:21

105. Tyler FARRAR, MTN – QHUBEKA, at 1:22

106. Greg HENDERSON, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 1:22

107. Florian VACHON, BRETAGNE-SECHE ENVIRONNEMENT, at 1:22

108. Simon GERRANS, ORICA GreenEDGE, at 1:22

109. Alberto LOSADA ALGUACIL, TEAM KATUSHA, at 1:23

110. Bram TANKINK, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at 1:23

111. Rafal MAJKA, TINKOFF – SAXO, at 1:23

112. Thomas VOECKLER, TEAM EUROPCAR, at 1:24

113. Matthieu LADAGNOUS, FDJ, at 1:24

114. Nicolas EDET, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 1:24

115. Florian SENECHAL, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 1:24

116. Danilo WYSS, BMC RACING TEAM, at 1:24

117. Michal GOLAS, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at 1:24

118. Andreas SCHILLINGER, BORA-ARGON 18, at 1:25

119. Paul VOSS, BORA-ARGON 18, at 1:25

120. Christophe LAPORTE, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 1:25

121. Ramon SINKELDAM, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at 1:25

122. Matteo TRENTIN, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at 1:26

123. Mark CAVENDISH, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at 1:26

124. Thomas DE GENDT, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 1:26

125. Joaquin RODRIGUEZ OLIVER, TEAM KATUSHA, at 1:26

126. Jakob FUGLSANG, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 1:26

127. Warren BARGUIL, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at 1:27

128. Dmitriy GRUZDEV, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 1:27

129. Jacques JANSE VAN RENSBURG, MTN – QHUBEKA, at 1:27

130. Alexandre GENIEZ, FDJ, at 1:27

131. Michele SCARPONI, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 1:28

132. Christophe RIBLON, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 1:30

133. Rafael VALLS FERRI, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 1:30

134. Jarlinson PANTANO, IAM CYCLING, at 1:31

135. Pierrick FEDRIGO, BRETAGNE-SECHE ENVIRONNEMENT, at 1:31

136. Daniel NAVARRO GARCIA, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 1:31

137. Grégory RAST, TREK FACTORY RACING, at 1:31

138. Dominik NERZ, BORA-ARGON 18, at 1:31

139. Jan BAKELANTS, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 1:32

140. Benoît VAUGRENARD, FDJ, at 1:32

141. Ramunas NAVARDAUSKAS, TEAM CANNONDALE – GARMIN, at 1:33

142. Jens DEBUSSCHERE, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 1:33

143. Julien SIMON, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 1:33

144. Anthony DELAPLACE, BRETAGNE-SECHE ENVIRONNEMENT, at 1:33

145. Romain BARDET, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 1:34

146. Daniel TEKLEHAIMANOT, MTN – QHUBEKA, at 1:34

147. Damiano CARUSO, BMC RACING TEAM, at 1:34

148. Jan BARTA, BORA-ARGON 18, at 1:35

149. Bryan NAULLEAU, TEAM EUROPCAR, at 1:35

150. Marco HALLER, TEAM KATUSHA, at 1:35

151. Cyril GAUTIER, TEAM EUROPCAR, at 1:36

152. Reinardt JANSE VAN RENSBURG, MTN – QHUBEKA, at 1:37

153. Koen DE KORT, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at 1:37

154. Nathan HAAS, TEAM CANNONDALE – GARMIN, at 1:37

155. Albert TIMMER, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at 1:39

156. Matteo TOSATTO, TINKOFF – SAXO, at 1:40

157. Eduardo SEPULVEDA, BRETAGNE-SECHE ENVIRONNEMENT, at 1:40

158. Ruben PLAZA MOLINA, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 1:40

159. Dmitrii KOZONCHUK, TEAM KATUSHA, at 1:41

160. Alexis VUILLERMOZ, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 1:42

161. Filippo POZZATO, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 1:42

162. Geoffrey SOUPE, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 1:43

163. Davide CIMOLAI, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 1:43

164. Ivan BASSO, TINKOFF – SAXO, at 1:45

165. Mark RENSHAW, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at 1:46

166. Pierre ROLLAND, TEAM EUROPCAR, at 1:46

167. Adam HANSEN, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 1:47

168. Laurent DIDIER, TREK FACTORY RACING, at 1:47

169. Johan VAN SUMMEREN, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 1:48

170. Kenneth VAN BILSEN, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 1:48

171. Sam BENNETT, BORA-ARGON 18, at 1:48

172. Michael VALGREN, TINKOFF – SAXO, at 1:49

173. Julian David ARREDONDO MORENO, TREK FACTORY RACING, at 1:50

174. José HERRADA LOPEZ, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 1:50

175. Merhawi KUDUS GHEBREMEDHIN, MTN – QHUBEKA, at 1:51

176. Bryan COQUARD, TEAM EUROPCAR, at 1:51

177. Michael SCHÄR, BMC RACING TEAM, at 1:51

178. Jacopo GUARNIERI, TEAM KATUSHA, at 1:51

179. Yohann GENE, TEAM EUROPCAR, at 1:53

180. Luke ROWE, TEAM SKY, at 1:54

181. Luca PAOLINI, TEAM KATUSHA, at 1:55

182. Kristijan DURASEK, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 1:55

183. Angelo TULIK, TEAM EUROPCAR, at 1:57

184. Luis Angel MATE MARDONES, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 1:58

185. Frédéric BRUN, BRETAGNE-SECHE ENVIRONNEMENT, at 2:01

186. Sébastien CHAVANEL, FDJ, at 2:02

187. Jose Rodolfo SERPA PEREZ, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 2:09

188. Roy CURVERS, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at 2:12

189. Matteo BONO, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 2:13

190. Ben GASTAUER, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 2:14

191. Nacer BOUHANNI, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 2:14

192. Arnaud GERARD, BRETAGNE-SECHE ENVIRONNEMENT, at 2:18

193. Pierre-Luc PERICHON, BRETAGNE-SECHE ENVIRONNEMENT, at 2:23

194. Perrig QUEMENEUR, TEAM EUROPCAR, at 2:24

195. Giampaolo CARUSO, TEAM KATUSHA, at 2:24

196. Armindo FONSECA, BRETAGNE-SECHE ENVIRONNEMENT, at 2:25

197. Brice FEILLU, BRETAGNE-SECHE ENVIRONNEMENT, at 2:28

198. Mikael CHEREL, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 3:36

POINTS

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1. Rohan DENNIS, BMC RACING TEAM, 20 points

2. Tony MARTIN, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, 17 points

3. Fabian CANCELLARA, TREK FACTORY RACING, 15 points

4. Tom DUMOULIN, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, 13 points

5. Jos VAN EMDEN, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, 11 points

6. Jonathan CASTROVIEJO NICOLAS, MOVISTAR TEAM, 10 points

7. Matthias BRANDLE, IAM CYCLING, 9 points

8. Adriano MALORI, MOVISTAR TEAM, 8 points

9. Wilco KELDERMAN, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, 7 points

10. Stephen CUMMINGS, MTN – QHUBEKA, 6 points

11. Robert GESINK, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, 5 points

12. Geraint THOMAS, TEAM SKY, 4 points

13. Alex DOWSETT, MOVISTAR TEAM, 3 points

14. Bauke MOLLEMA, TREK FACTORY RACING, 2 points

15. Bob JUNGELS, TREK FACTORY RACING, 1 point

YOUNG RIDERS

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1. Rohan DENNIS, BMC RACING TEAM, in 14:56

2. Tom DUMOULIN, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at :08

3. Wilco KELDERMAN, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at :30

4. Bob JUNGELS, TREK FACTORY RACING, at :38

5. Dylan VAN BAARLE, TEAM CANNONDALE – GARMIN, at :38

6. Thibaut PINOT, FDJ, at :41

7. Peter SAGAN, TINKOFF – SAXO, at :41

8. Luke DURBRIDGE, ORICA GreenEDGE, at :46

9. Simon YATES, ORICA GreenEDGE, at :46

10. Michael MATTHEWS, ORICA GreenEDGE, at :58

11. Georg PREIDLER, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at :59

12. Nairo Alexander QUINTANA ROJAS, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 1:01

13. Michal KWIATKOWSKI, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at 1:06

14. Emanuel BUCHMANN, BORA-ARGON 18, at 1:12

15. Arnaud DEMARE, FDJ, at 1:12

16. Adam YATES, ORICA GreenEDGE, at 1:18

17. Tim WELLENS, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 1:21

18. Louis MEINTJES, MTN – QHUBEKA, at 1:21

19. Florian SENECHAL, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 1:24

20. Christophe LAPORTE, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 1:25

21. Warren BARGUIL, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at 1:27

22. Romain BARDET, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 1:34

23. Marco HALLER, TEAM KATUSHA, at 1:35

24. Eduardo SEPULVEDA, BRETAGNE-SECHE ENVIRONNEMENT, at 1:40

25. Kenneth VAN BILSEN, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 1:48

26. Sam BENNETT, BORA-ARGON 18, at 1:48

27. Michael VALGREN, TINKOFF – SAXO, at 1:49

28. Merhawi KUDUS GHEBREMEDHIN, MTN – QHUBEKA, at 1:51

29. Bryan COQUARD, TEAM EUROPCAR, at 1:51

30. Luke ROWE, TEAM SKY, at 1:54

31. Angelo TULIK, TEAM EUROPCAR, at 1:57

32. Nacer BOUHANNI, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 2:14

TEAM

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1. Team Lotto Nl – Jumbo, in 46:06

2. Trek Factory Racing, at :03

3. Bmc Racing Team, at :08

4. Movistar Team, at :10

5. Etixx – Quick Step, at :12

6. Team Giant – Alpecin, at :34

7. Iam Cycling, at :40

8. Team Sky, at :48

9. Astana Pro Team, at :54

10. Orica Greenedge, at :59

11. Tinkoff – Saxo, at 1:08

12. Fdj, at 1:10

13. Mtn – Qhubeka, at 1:34

14. Team Cannondale – Garmin, at 1:46

15. Lotto Soudal, at 2:01

16. Ag2r La Mondiale, at 2:11

17. Bora-argon 18, at 2:16

18. Team Katusha, at 2:21

19. Lampre – Merida, at 2:41

20. Team Europcar, at 2:54

21. Cofidis, Solutions Credits, at 2:55

22. Bretagne-seche Environnement, at 3:08

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Another July has come, and that means that another great edition of the Tour de France has begun. For me, this is the 29th edition that I have followed closely, watching great generations of the best cyclists come and go. It is an event that captures the imagination, with some of the best athletes in the world fighting day in and day out for glory. Some race just for one day’s spoils, winning an individual sprint, or a day in one of the various leaders jerseys…..a career achievement for many, while a select few will fight for the overall victory, or perhaps for a place on the final podium in Paris. To do so means having to fight day in and day out, through the heat and the rain, up some of the highest mountains in the world, or through the wind and the cobbled roads of France. To be the best means guaranteeing your place in cycling history, and to do so means being good every day, without a jours sans (off day). It means having the support of a strong team, while avoiding the accidents and crashes, or sickness or fatigue that will keep a full quarter of the peloton from ever seeing the end of the race.

Over the past three two decades, I have seen the race dominated by a select few. In the early 1990s (1991-95), Spain’s Miguel Indurain won a then-record five straight Tours. From 1999-2005, I witnessed Lance Armstrong dominate the race in a way that no other rider has ever done before, or may do again. (NOTE: While his titles have been formally stripped by the UCI in 2013 for drug use, the fact still remains that I saw him win those races. In the absence of someone else doing so, I will acknowledge that he was the winner before my eyes, even if I don’t condone how he went about doing so). In the nine races since Armstrong retired, there have been eight different winners (only Spain’s Alberto Contador has won twice…or three times, with his 2010 title being stripped from him). This has made for interesting racing, wondering who would ultimately take the prize. This year, perhaps more than any other in edition since 1989, the race is wide open to a number of strong challengers.

The media have dubbed a “Fab Four” favorites, and all of them are due their respected status. At the top of the list is last year’s champion, Italian Vincenzo Nibali. Nibali dominated last year’s race, including 4 stage wins, and wearing the leader’s jersey from Day 3 all the way to Paris. Last year’s race was one that saw several other favorited challengers crash out, so some pundits may have wondered how Nibali would have ridden with greater challenges in the mountains, but I can say from my perspective that Nibali rode like a champion, and may have won regardless of who was/wasn’t there.

British rider Christopher Froome won the race in dominating fashion in 2013, and after finishing 2nd in 2012, looked like he might dominate the race for a generation to come. He had the misfortune of crashing out of the race in the first week last year, and thus denied an opportunity to properly defend his title. He is back this year, showing decent form with a win in the June stage race, the Dauphine Libere. He is one of the best climbers in the world, and arguably the best time trialist of the major contenders. In the last few years, when healthy, he may be the one rider who has not shown any real weakness, save for being able to avoid accidents.

Spain’s Alberto Contador is arguably the best stage racer of his generation. He has seven official wins to his credit (two Tours de France, two Giros d’Italia, and three Vuelta’s a Espana)…plus the 2010 Tour and 2011 Giro which were stripped. He has not won the Tour outright since 2009, although he has never finished lower than fifth in any Tour he has ridden since winning his first in 2007. He also crashed out of the Tour in the first half last year, and was not able to truly challenge Nibali when the Tour went into the highest mountains, when he might have been at his best. He rebounded from his accident to win the Vuelta a Espana last September, and this spring’s Giro d’Italia. Of the contenders, he is my favorite, but I will also acknowledge that he is the oldest of the group, and this may be his last chance to win this race. Given his efforts in the Giro, he is the least fresh, although he is going after a Giro/Tour double that has not been done since 1998, and really has not been attempted much by any of the Tour’s biggest stars. Contador’s experience will serve him well, and the strength of his team. There is a reason why many riders don’t attempt the Giro/Tour double, but if anyone can do it, Contador is capable of pulling off this feat, and cementing his place amongst the all-time legends of cycling, if he is not there already.

The final member of the “Fab Four” is the youngest; the Colombian climber, Nairo Quintana. Quintana may be the least experienced, with this only being his 2nd Tour de France, but given the heavy mountainous course, and the absence of too many kilometers of time trials, he might be the biggest threat to win overall. Quintana has packed in quite an impressive resume in a couple short years. In his first Tour, in 2013, he scored a stage win in the high mountains, along with winning the best climbers jersey, and the white young rider’s jersey, en route to 2nd place overall, behind Froome, and ahead of Contador (who finshed 4th). Last year, he won the Giro d’Italia in dominating fashion, and skipped the Tour de France, before competing (and crashing out of ) the Vuelta a Espana. Now, with a Grand Tour victory under his belt, Quintana returns to France to contend for the win, hoping to be the first South American rider to win the biggest prize in cycling.

If there are four major contenders, there remains a slew of riders who can still make their presence felt in this race, and even vie for the podium if the top riders falter. Heading this next group is America’s best hope for Tour success, Tejay van Garderen. Tejay finished 5th in the both 2012 and 2014, and now has his team’s complete support behind him. He finished a close 2nd place to Froome in June’s Dauphine Libere, losing out only on time bonuses. While van Garderen may not have the pedigree of a Grand Tour winner, he has shown the continued improvement that suggest that he may be ready to move up from his 5th place career best.

Last year was a renaissance of sort for France, who had not one but two riders place on the final podium, in 2nd and 3rd, with Jean Christophe Peraud, and Thibaut Pinot, with another, Romain Bardet, taking 6th place. Peraud is one of the older riders in the group, at 36 years old, but Pinot and Bardet were the top two riders in last year’s under 25 competition. Spain’s Alejandro Valverde has been one of the best riders of his generation. He has won the Vuelta a Espana (2009), and last year, scored a career best 4th place finish in the Tour. Even though he has never won the big one, he has long been a catalyst in the race. Unfortunately, he will not be fighting for the win this year, as he is charged with supporting Quintana, his younger teammate. He can still ride to a high placing in his own right, and provide his Movistar team with options, should Quintana falter.
Other potential challengers for a top-10 finish include young American Andrew Talansky (10th in 2013), Frenchman Pierre Rolland (12th in 2014), Spainish veteran Joaquin Rodriguez (3rd in 2013), Dutchman Bauke Mollema (top 10 in 2013 & 2014), and current World Champion Michal Kwiatkowski.

While there are a lot of battles to fought, I will offer up my predictions as follows. To be clear, I would love to see Contador win the race overall, and see history made, or van Garderen, which would be a huge upset, but this is how I see the top 10:
1. Nairo Quintana (mountains galore will play to his strengths, if he can stay on the bike)
2. Chris Froome (a return to his 2013 form)
3. Vincenzo Nibali
4. Alberto Contador
5. Tejay Van Garderen
6. Alejandro Valverde
7. Thibaut Pinot
8. Bauke Mollema
9. Andrew Talansky
10. Joaquin Rodriguez

I will also note that Quintana will score the white jersey again (by default), and will be the first winner to also win the best climbers jersey since Eddy Merckx, in 1969 and 1970. Until someone take it from him, Peter Sagan will again win the green sprinter’s jersey that he has won the last three years. With fewer sprint stages on course this year, there will be fewer opportunities for the pure sprinters (I think that Andre Greipel is currently the best pure sprinter), but Sagan is the most versatile of them, and can score points on a number of terrains, although he also may have team duties in supporting Alberto Contador.

I would not at all be surprised to see van Garderen sneak up into a top three spot, if a couple of the favorites crack, or a befallen with a crash, which can happen. I cannot, and prefer not, to predict misfortunes like this, but my picks are based upon what I perceive their current form to be, along with age and trends from recent years. If Contador wins, it would be his greatest feat, but in recent years, I can’t help but feel like perhaps age is catching up with him a little bit, or that his ability to recover from one day to the next is slightly below those of the the other top challengers. He will be well supported, but I believe he will fall a bit short, as will Nibali, who will be outclassed (albeit closely)by Quintana and Froome.

In any event, with a field like this, and a challenging route that is set before them, backloaded with a full week of climbing in the last week, this year’s race may be one for the ages. I, for one, look forward to seeing how it unfolds, one day at a time, over the next three weeks.